Ice cutter



April 2, 1946. I M. 'SVEDA' 2,397,571

ICE CUTTER Filed Feb. 19, 1945 4 Michael ,dveda INVENTOR.

Patented Apr. 2, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ICE CUTTER Michael Sveda, Clifton, N. J.

Application February 19, 1945, Serial No. 578,644

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a tool designed for cutting through thick ice such as found in rivers and lakes in localities subject to severe cold. In many places, such as remote portions of Alaska, it frequently is necessary to cut through the thick ice on lakes and streams, in order to obtain water for drinking and cooking purposes. The practice has been to cut holes large enough to receive buckets. As the ice frequently reaches a thickness of a couple of feet or more, the operation, which usually has been performed with implements not especially designed for that purpose, has been laborious and lengthy.

An object of the present invention is to provide a tool especially designed for meeting the requirements under the conditions stated, one of the objects being to provide a tool which can be manipulated readily by a person standing erect and which can quickly cut cleanly through thick ice until a hole of the desired proportions has been formed.

A further object is to provide a tool which will withstand the heavy use to which it is subjected, this being an important factor in remote localities where parts cannot be readily obtained.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawing Figure 1 is an elevation of the complete device.

Figure 2 is an enlarged section on line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3, Fig. 2.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference l designates an elongated blade of steel or other suitable metal having a V-shaped head 2 at one end. This blade has flat faces 3 which converge to a straight cutting edge 4. The thickness of the blade is slightly greater than the width and said blade is tapered both in width and thickness toward said edge 4. The blade preferably is of considerable length and, in practice, might be as much as one foot from the cutting edge 4 to the head 2. The forked head provides an angular channel 5 therebetween and the ends of the fork merge into flat parallel extensions 6.

The tool has a handle 1 preferably of wood. In practice this is approximately five feet in length and the diameter is such that the handle can be grasped readily by the hands of the user.

One end of the handle is rectangular in cross section and has been indicated at 8. It has a tapered extension 9 shaped to fit snugly within the channel 5 so to to exert a thrust against the head 2.

Transverse bolts [0, rivets or other fastening means connect the extensions 6 and are extended through slots ll formed in the angular portion 8 of the handle I. The vertical dimension of each slot is greater than the diameter of the bolt seated in the slot. The bolts, however, serve to clamp extension 6 against the portion 8 so that under normal working conditions there is no relative movement between the parts.

In using the tool the same is employed very much like an ice pick, the straight edge 4 making comparatively short cuts into the ice as the tool is brought downwardly with a violent motion and while in a substantially vertical position. The long handle 1 enables the user to handle the tool readily and adds considerable weight to the tool. As the end of the handle wedges into the head 2 and bears against the walls of the channel 5 in the head, a thrust will be transmitted directly from the handle to the head and the bolts I0 thus are relieved from all strains which might tend to split the handle because of the violence of the impact.

After the ice has been cut through partially to define the area of the hole to be formed it ultimately will crack through and the lump thus produced can be pushed downwardly under the remaining ice, thereby leaving the hole clear so that a bucket or the like can be lowered into it.

After the first break through has been made as explained, the hole can be kept open easily because during the intervals while it is not in use the water will not freeze to form ice of the same thickness as that originally encountered.

What is claimed is:

A tool for use in cutting through natural ice in its original condition on bodies of water, which includes an elongated tapered blade having a straight cutting edge at one end, a forked head at the other end of the blade merging into parallel flat extensions, said head providing a channel constituting a tapered seat, a handle bearing snugly atone end against the seat and positioned between the extensions, said handle having transverse slots, and fastening elements connecting said extensions and extending through the slots, those diameters of the slots extending in the direction of the extension of the hammer piece greater than the diameters of the fastening means, thehandle being proportioned in length to permit downward cutting with the tool by a person in an upright position.

NHCHAEL SVE'DA. 

